All About Spelling {Review, Printables, & FAQ}

Yes, All About Spelling focuses on phonograms from the very first step in Level 1 and continues adding new phonograms through Level 6.
Read More: How to Teach Phonograms and Phonogram Sounds App

All About Spelling is mastery-based and uses the Orton-Gillingham approach. Because it is mastery based, level numbers do not correlate to grade levels. Most students should begin with level 1 to ensure a firm spelling foundation.

Read More: How We Make Reading and Spelling Easy to Teach

Yes, All About Spelling is pretty much open-and-go. Each step (lesson) provides a simple script to follow and instructions detailing what to do.

Before each school year begins, I do these three things to prepare.
(1) Set up the spelling review box and add new letter tiles.
(2) Print out the level-specific worksheets that I created (B&W editions only).
(3) Use a pencil to divide each step in my teacher’s manual into teachable chunks.

This answer will vary, but the general recommendation is to do each step (lesson) in bite-sized chunks (~20 minutes) that don’t overflow your child’s funnel. I break each step into teachable chunks such that each step takes generally 2-4 days to complete.

In our homeschool, we choose to do one level per year even if we finish spelling earlier than other subjects. Rather than starting the next level right away, we continue to use our spelling review boxes to ensure mastery while we finish out the school year.

Read More: Spelling: How Much Time Should I Spend?

Each step (lesson) is scripted and provides detailed instructions. Steps typically begin with review. This is followed by new teaching and reinforcement activities.

The idea is to review daily (if needed) and break up the new teaching into appropriately-sized chunks. For reinforcement activities like Dictate Sentences, we do a few each day rather than trying to do them all at once.

Use the teacher’s manual as a guide, but realize that you can still tailor each step for your child’s individual needs.

First, decide which level of All About Spelling to buy.  Most students should begin with Level 1, but there is a placement test that can help you decide.

Then, add the Teacher’s Manual and Student Packet for that level to your cart.  You can purchase these required resources as a set or individually.  The Student Packet differs for each level but includes the spelling review cards, progress chart, stickers, and completion certificate along with any other charts, mini books, letter tiles, and lists required specifically for that level.

Next, decide if you would like to use physical letter tiles, the Letter Tiles App, or a combination of both.

If purchasing the physical letter tiles, you can either buy them individually or as part of a Spelling Interactive Kit.  Note that if you already have a Reading Interactive Kit (from All About Reading), you do not need to buy an additional set of physical letter tiles.

If purchasing the Letter Tiles App, make sure your device supports the app.  Smaller devices like phones do not have a large enough screen to run the app.

Finally, decide how you want to setup your spelling review box.  You can purchase a spelling review box individually or as part of the Deluxe Spelling Interactive Kit, or you can create your own.  No matter what you decide to use as your spelling review box, make sure you order the spelling divider cards.  You can purchase these individually or as part of either Spelling Interactive Kit.

All About Spelling is a versatile program that works well in many different settings. We personally use it in our homeschool with three children in three different levels. Although All About Spelling works well in a one-on-one setting, it isn’t limited to this style of teaching.

All About Spelling also works for a variety of students regardless of their age, needs, or capabilities.

Yes, All About Spelling is currently used in many public and private school classrooms.

Read More: 12 Reasons Teachers Love All About Reading and All About Spelling – Scroll halfway down for “Tips for Using AAR and AAS in the Classroom.”

Absolutely. Though I’m not a student anymore, I have greatly improved my spelling ability simply by teaching this program to my children. Even in Level 1, I picked up on spelling concepts that were completely new to me like open and closed syllables.

Since All About Spelling is a mastery program, you will likely still need to start at Level 1 for an older student, but you may be able to work through lessons at a faster pace. A placement test is available.

Read More: Using All About Spelling with Older Students

Yes, this program was developed by Marie Rippel because she needed a way to teach her son, who was diagnosed with severe dyslexia. Learn more about their story.

Read More: Real Moms, Real Kids: How AAS Saved My Son with Dyslexia

Additional Resources:
How to Get a Membership with Learning Ally
The International Dyslexia Association: Spelling

Yes. All About Spelling can be completed without any handwriting.

Read More: Dysgraphia: How can I help my child?

Read More: Teaching Reading and Spelling to Children with Autism

No, it doesn’t include decoding, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, or reading practice.

All About Reading (AAR) is a separate program for teaching reading. Because we already had a reading program that worked when I came across All About Spelling (AAS), I have not tried All About Reading.

Read More: What’s the Difference Between AAR & AAS?

You can start the program at any time, but your child should have some reading experience before beginning spelling.

If you are also using All About Reading (AAR), the general recommendation is to wait to start All About Spelling until after completing AAR Level 1.

Read More: The Right Time to Start Spelling Instruction

Because All About Spelling is mastery-based, you should most likely begin with Level 1. A placement test is available.

No, but your child will have a strong foundation and a plan for how to continue learning to spell new words.

Read More: What Happens after All About Spelling?

Flashcards: I highly recommend purchasing the optional Spelling Divider Cards and the Spelling Review Box to store the flashcards used in daily review.

Letter Tiles: Even in Level 1, there are a lot of letter tiles, and these increase with each level. The teacher’s manuals recommend and many have had success with a 2’x3′ magnetic whiteboard for tile storage and organization.

When we began homeschooling, I didn’t have room for a large whiteboard devoted to letter tiles. I also didn’t want my younger children to play with and likely lose the tiles. Through Level 5, I was able to keep all the tiles on small metal boards stored in a 3-pocket menu holder. It works, but it’s heavy and still not ideal.

Starting with the 2020-21 school year, we purchased a tablet and the Letter Tiles App. The app worked well for us. I’ll keep our letter tiles on hand just in case we need them again, but our go-to method is now the app.

Other Resources: I store other pages in a folder for easy access. For those that are reusable, I usually laminate these for longevity.

This answer will likely depend on your student and your space limitations. We used the tiles for our first five years of AAS and switched to the Letter Tiles App during our sixth year. All of my children preferred the app over the tiles. Everything works just as shown in the video below although we sometimes find splitting the words into syllables difficult.

Read More: Using Letter Tiles | Our Top Tips for Using the Letter Tiles App

The All About Homophones workbook (print|ebook) is completely optional. It emphasizes word usage rather than spelling. I purchased the digital version and choose to print the corresponding worksheet when one is available for a set of homophones. Not all homophones covered in All About Spelling have corresponding worksheets.

I included a schedule for when I use the All About Homophones workbook in the printables for All About Spelling levels 3-7.

Read More: How to Teach Homophones

Our family thrives on a literature based curriculum with memorable read-alouds and readers. Sonlight has been our go-to source for great books.

For grammar and writing instruction, the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) has the best resources for our family.